The focus of Columbia’s graduate program in Psychology is on the training of Ph.D. students in research, teaching and scholarship in the areas of behavioral neuroscience, perception, cognition and social-personality psychology. This graduate program does not offer training in clinical psychology, school, counseling or industrial psychology. If you are interested in any of these programs, please refer to the Teacher’s College web site for further information.

Historically, the research programs in the Department were on the intersections of the social, cognitive and biological areas. This is still true today. It produces high levels of interaction among students and faculty across areas, while serving to broaden students' knowledge of the content and methodologies of the science of psychology.

Students start their own research beginning in their first year and are encouraged to do innovative and original work throughout their graduate career. As there are few course requirements, graduate students have the opportunity to fully invest themselves in their research and in their instructional training. They also regularly attend area research seminars and colloquia. Within a community of dedicated faculty, students explore and tailor their interests in consultation with appropriate faculty advisors, creating their own learning environments.

There are usually between 30 and 40 graduate students in residence whose programs are funded from university fellowships or external fellowships. While the majority of graduates of the program pursue jobs in academia, research jobs in applied settings such as medical institutions and market research departments, have also been career choices.

We hope that you’ll explore the information on this site (not only the Graduate section but also the People, Research and About Us sections that elaborate on our people, their work and the Department’s very notable history) to help you decide if Columbia is the right choice for you.